Survey: Higher Fuel Prices Won’t Deter RVers’ Travel Plans

Kidd RV Resort Consulting, an integrated marketing firm specializing in the RV industry, has interpreted the results of its five-question survey to analyze the relationship between gas prices and RVers’ travel behaviors from the summer of 2011 to the winter of 2012.

The results of Kidd RV’s ongoing quarterly industry surveys are valuable for the consulting firm in order to understand RVers’ lifestyles and to better serve their clients- specifically RV resorts, according to a news release.

The Tallahassee, Fla.-based consulting firm uncovered several insightful differences between fuel survey results from 2011 to 2012. Respondents of the 2011 survey indicated that if fuel prices continued to increase, more than 70 percent of RVers would change their travel plans or behaviors. The percentage of respondents who would change their travel behaviors dropped to 27 percent in 2012, an indication that more RVers are adhering to their travel plans despite fuel prices. This fluctuation is potentially due to the 16 percent fuel price decrease that occurred from the summer through December, combined with an improving economy.

Based on survey results, RVers are more committed to paying higher fuel prices and traveling in 2012 as compared to 2011. In 2012, the majority of RVers responded that they would travel until fuel prices reached $8/gallon, while only 7.4 percent of RVers would pay $8/gallon in 2011.

Survey suggests that the nation's RVers won't be held captive by rising fuel prices this season.

In addition, 55 percent of participants are planning on traveling more than they did in 2011, 36 percent planning to travel the same as in 2011 and only 9 percent traveling less than they did last year. These results are indicative of RVers’ willingness to travel further and spend more money on fuel in 2012 as compared to in 2011.

“Understanding how RVers are affected by industry trends, obstacles and new technologies aids Kidd RV for the purpose of creating more focused marketing objectives and maximizing positive results for our clients,” says Jerry Kidd, president of Kidd RV Resort Consulting. “It is crucial for us to be in tune with RVers’ lifestyles in order to better understand the market and ways to make traveling more convenient for our target audience. Through our research on fuel costs and travel behaviors, we have gained insight about how far RVers are willing to travel to their destinations this year, and how much they are willing to pay along the way.”